Growing Up
by selective.fangirl
Summary: Watch Mike, El, Lucas, Dustin, and Will grow up. Mileven in the later chapters. Years 13-18.
1. Chapter 1:13 years old

Mike: the life left his dark brown eyes. Now there are just bags under them from looking in the woods so late at night. He smiles but everyone knows it's fake. His dark hair is always unkempt and messy. Who needs to brush their hair when one of their best friends has just gone missing? His skin is pale and his freckles are more vivid. He's growing and his arms and legs seem too long for his body. He is now a couple inches taller than all his friends. He's a lot skinnier now, from missing meals, he is too busy looking.

Dustin: still as loud and outgoing as ever, but now there's an air of sadness to his jokes. If he's lucky he'll get a couple laughs. He tries so hard to bring his friends back to what they once were, but he's starting to give up. Is normal even a possibility, after everything that's happened? His hair is as curly as ever, but his teeth haven't grown in yet and he's starting to give up on them too.

Lucas: acts like everything's okay. He avoids the number 11 like the plague. His hair has grown out a bit and he's an inch or so taller. Other than that, he looks the same. The bags under his eyes have vanished. He stopped going out to look with Mike months ago. He tries to protect his friends, but he can't protect them from what he doesn't know. He's worried for all of them-especially Mike and Will.

Will: has changed. His hair has grown out and he refuses to let his mom cut it. It's one of the only things he has of himself from Before. He is spitting out slugs and it won't stop. Neither will the flashbacks. He pretends like he isn't sick, but how long can he cover it? He was in another dimension for a week. Will he ever recover? The bags under his eyes are bigger than Mike's, because who can sleep when every time you close your eyes it's a nightmare?

El: is watching as the people she learned to love in a week slowly fall apart. And it's all her fault. Sobs wrack her body in those few moments when she's safe. The dress, shoes, and jacket that once made her "pretty" are tattered and filthy. Her hair has grown out a couple inches and she's gotten a bit taller. Longer legs are great for running away. She is always hungry, thirsty, and tired. The pain stopped months ago, now she's only numb. She has almost given up hope, but there is one thing that keeps her going-Mike.


	2. Chapter 2: 14 years old

14 years old

Mike: finding her in the woods was the second best thing that had ever happened to him (meeting her was the first). His depression practically faded overnight. His broken spirit had been mended and the light in his eyes has returned. He smiles at everyone and the people of Hawkins wonder what turned the broken little boy into one oozing in joy. He is eating meals again and lost the gaunt look he had the year before. He's now the tallest in his grade and getting the hang of his lanky limbs. His grades are slipping, but for the best reason. Every morning, afterschool, and weekend he is at the Byers. His mother swears that he practically lives there now, but she doesn't know why. Homework has stopped mattering and all that matters is that she is back.

Lucas: is glad the weirdo is back. He is as protective as ever, but now he has more to protect. The weirdo joined their circle of friends. She completely forgave him for calling her a traitor. The only thing he's worried about now is Mike not doing his homework, a big change from last year. And Will, but whenever he brings up the topic, Will changes the subject. Giving up has never been his thing and he's not about to start now. But with her back, there's a lightness there. And seeing his best friend go from depressed to the happiest person in Hawkins was almost enough to make him forget how worried he was about Will.

Dustin: makes more jokes than ever. Laughing with his friends has never felt better. Now that she was a member of the party, Dustin could reuse all his old jokes. He even had to teach her what a joke was! He now has more hope for the future; and his teeth after doctors told him and his family that they were guaranteed to come in in the next few years. He is happy beyond belief because he no longer has to try and bring his friends back to normal: this is better than normal.

Will: is doing better. Meeting the girl who saved his life is terrifying and nerve wracking at the same time. Especially that she is now living in his house as his sister. The first night she came home was the first night Will had slept in a long time. The bags under his eyes were gone, but he still looked sick. Just because the nightmares had stopped didn't mean he was healed. Will was still spitting out slugs and having flashbacks. The doctors said that he was just having PTSD, he did spend a week in an alien dimension. Every time a noise was too loud both Will and his sister would flinch. They were far from fine, but they were getting closer to it.

El: has come home. She is safe now, but her nightmares don't know that. Papa, the demogorgon, and that place haunt her. Loud noises make her jump and certain things bring paralyzing flashbacks. She now lives with the boy she saved, his shy but loving loving brother, and his kind and overprotective mom. El's learning new words and smiles regularly. Everyday he comes over and they don't even needs to talk. It's as if they can read each other's minds. All of them have accepted her-powers and all. Her hair is now to her shoulders and she has new clothes and is just as 'pretty'. Her eyes are like a doe's and curiously scan everything in a room-just in case. She is still as thin as a bird, but at least she's eating regularly. She now can imagine a future that she loves, a big difference from the lab. She is happier than she's been all her life.


	3. Chapter 3: 15 years old

15

Mike: school had now become a thousand times more enjoyable. Now that she was with him at school. It seemed impossible that his smile could be bigger, but it did. On the first day, in fact. He doesn't live at the Byers anymore, but now that she has a SuperCom they talk whenever: 3 in the morning or 5 at night. He still stops by the Byers almost every-other day, 'just in case.' His friends tease him about having a girlfriend, but he doesn't even know what they are. He knows he likes her more than a friend, but does she feel the same? He doesn't say anything about it and bottles those feelings up. Feelings are confusing. Mike keeps getting taller and his hair keeps getting messier. High school finals are stressful and the last thing on his mind is brushing his hair. But even studying is hard, especially when the first thing on his mind is her.

Dustin: finally has teeth. They had finally grown in, and for once Dustin felt like a normal human being. He was tired of being know as his disability, not his name. Troy had finally stopped bullying him and his friends. Although Dustin would like to think that it was because Troy had finally grown up, it was probably because they now had a telepathic best friend that could break his arm any time. He and his friends seem like they are normal to outsiders, but within the party there is an underlying tension.

Lucas: was worried and happy, all spun into one. He was worried his friend who almost died and the weirdo. Will was either getting a lot better, or was getting a lot better at hiding it. Lucas wanted to help, but he just didn't know how. He was worried about the weirdo too. Every time a guy in a formal suit walked her way she would freeze and bury herself in Mike's arms. Lucas was worried that she would never forget what had happened at her at the terrible place. The lab. Although he was worried about his friends, he was also extremely happy. He and Dustin wouldn't stop until his best friend and the weirdo were together. It was so freaking obvious that they liked each other! The party had known that for years: ever since she disappeared. He was so relieved they were all happy.

Will: is almost normal. His family has never been better. His sister has been the happiest she's probably been in her life. His mom and the chief had gotten married and Will had never seen her happier. But that's all the reason he keeps his pain secret. He had lost the sick look, but no one can tell when you have a sick brain. The slugs have stopped, but the flashbacks and panic/anxiety attacks haven't. He can't walk into a dark room without shuddering and he's always cold. Will's friend's decided that their mission was to get Mike and his sister together. He thought it would make things weird but he's all for making his friends happy. Will is the most encouraging of it, especially because he feels it's his fault for sending Mike into that depressed state by being one of the reasons she disappeared. He wonders if he'll ever be back to what he was: normal.

El: is learning life can be amazing. Going to school is one of the best things that has ever happened to her. She gets to learn and is advancing every day. El is one of the most advanced students in her grade and she's thriving in high school. She's getting taller and her hair is growing long. She has developed into a young women. She is as pretty as ever-and guess who tells her that almost everyday. But Eleven isn't perfect. She gets scared when she see things that remind her of her time in the Upside-Down and the lab. Her nightmares haven't disappeared either. If she breaks out of them, she immediately calls Mike or Will. Usually Mike because most nights Will is dealing with his own demons. Her social skills have become a thousand times better. She now knows what a joke is, thanks to Dustin, and she knows what a crush is, thanks to Lucas teasing her about Mike. She is pretty sure she has one on Mike, but she doesn't know if he feels the same. Better to not take that risk. Even with all the confusion, El finally has a place where she is loved.


End file.
